This invention relates generally to the field of controllers suitable for use with miniature personal communications devices, and more particularly to a switch function controller for use with digital electronic watches which incorporate a radio paging receiver.
The small physical size and form factor of wrist worn digital electronic watches having LCD or LED displays makes it very difficult to provide individual control switches for each and every function which can be provided in the watches. As a result, watch manufacturers have had to devote considerable effort to minimize the number of control switches required to set and control the watch functions. This has resulted in providing only a limited number of control switches providing multiple function capability on the watches. Selection and control of all of the available functions requires sequences of control switch operations to be performed which are not always readily apparent, even with the identification of the switch functions on the watch case.
When a radio paging receiver is also included in the same case as the watch, the problem is further complicated. This is due to the large number of distinctly different functions which are required for control of a paging receiver. It has been the experience of paging receiver manufacturers that these functions must be clearly identified to avoid confusion or the loss of messages due to improper operation of the controls by the user. Device case size limits simply adding additional control switches for the paging receiver functions. Multiplexing control of the additional functions required for the paging receiver functions with those of the watch functions using the same control switches can create confusion in the operation of the watch and paging receiver functions. Other problems, such as when to provide operation of the paging receiver or the watch functions by the control switches, how long and how often, and how to handle information delivered by the paging receiver have not been but need to be addressed.